Never-Ending
by tkross
Summary: Rose has a disturbing recurring dream that she struggles to interpret as her relationship with the Doctor begins to change. The story follows the progression of intimacy between them at night time, beginning at the end of S1 and continuing through mid to late S2.
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to Develish1 for the beta! This was my first fic, written several months ago - (publishing everything on this site for the 1st time). I think I've improved since then, but wanted to share anyway :). The M rated content isn't too explicit, but definitely exceeds the teen rating. First chapter is all ages.

* * *

The first time Rose had the dream, the Doctor woke her up with a gentle shake of her shoulders. Her eyes flew open, and she let out a small shriek when she found ice blue irises less than a couple of centimetres from her face. Before the Doctor had a chance to even utter a syllable in explanation, Rose recognized the eyes as his and abruptly pulled him into a fierce hug.

The Doctor froze for a moment, uncomfortable in the knowledge that he was practically straddling her now, but then wrapped his arms around her and started rubbing soft circles on her back. He muttered comforting and soothing words as she clutched him tightly. "Shhh. I've got you. You're fine. I'm here now."

Rose broke the hug and looked up at him with a questioning glance. "Not that I'm complaining but what _are_ you doing here Doctor?"

He moved into a sitting position next to her and looked at her sheepishly. "You were dreaming. I was worried so I came in to check on you. Is that alright?"

Rose didn't hesitate. "Course it is. Just, you might not want to make a habit of doing that to other people unless you fancy being slapped. It's a bit startling waking up that way."

The Doctor tucked a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear and said. "I don't. Or won't." When she raised a questioning eyebrow, he continued. "It isn't a habit. I don't do this sort of thing but, like I said, I was worried about you. You cried out for me in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?"

Rose blushed at hearing that she had called for him in her sleep, and worried about what kind of dream she might have been having. She told him "I don't know. It's mostly gone now." Then she furrowed her brow and bit her bottom lip in concentration. "No, wait. Actually, I do remember some of it. I was trapped in this really tall see through building, yeah? And I kept going up this staircase but it never ended no matter how high up I went. It just kept going and going, around and around, up and up. I could see everything outside but I couldn't touch or feel any of it. I mean everything — space, Earth, all the stars - everything. Sort of like all the worlds we've seen in one, plus all the stars shining brightly and the blackness of space too. I know that sounds odd but I don't know how else to describe it. And I felt so terrified! It wasn't like I was being chased or anything and it didn't seem like I was in any sort of danger, but I wanted so badly to get out of the building. I knew somehow that you were outside but I was stuck with no way out." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's it. I don't remember anything else. I'm not sure why I was so afraid. What do you think it means?"

He smoothed her hair away from her forehead and smiled. "You apes are always trying to find meaning in everything. Why's it have to mean anything at all?"

Despite the tender note of teasing in his voice, Rose felt annoyed. "You asked. I was just wondering is all. Besides I happen to know a Time Lord that looks for meaning in everything too."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up "I didn't mean it as an insult. It's one of the things I love about you lot. And yes, you're right, I suppose I do find meaning in everything but not in the same way that humans do." He paused to consider his words before continuing. "Remember when we first met and I told you I felt the turn of the Earth?" She nodded. "I don't perceive things in the same way that you do. I see in a lot more layers. Sort of like what you saw outside of that building I guess. I see what's right in front of me but I also see, no that's not exactly right, I feel all of the possibilities of every person, every world, every everything. There is no meaning to any of it until I decide there is." He shrugged as if to say that was the best explanation he could give her.

Rose stayed quiet for a few moments and then asked, "So what, it's all up to you whether or not any of it means anything at all? That's a bit rich even coming from you."

The Doctor laughed and then smiled smugly. "No, anyone can assign meaning to something. I didn't mean just me. I use my extensive knowledge and fantastic powers of deduction to make sense out of the chaos. I'm a genius me, remember?"

Rose responded by rolling her eyes at him and giving him a teasing tongue touched smile. "Yes, I'm already well aware of how impressive you think you are."

He smiled at her and tweaked her nose. "Oh Rose, don't you know? You're impressive too. One of the many things I adore about you is your ability to distinguish the single thing that really matters in almost any situation."

Rose gaped at him in wordless response. He'd told her he only took the best and she knew that he cared about her, but he rarely complimented her so overtly. She didn't know how to respond so she just gave him a small, embarrassed smile that suddenly turned into a loud yawn. "Sorry. Someone woke me up so I'm a bit tired."

The Doctor looked mildly offended but then his eyes softened as he realized how exhausted she must be. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and muttered, "get some sleep Rose," before reluctantly getting up.

Rose sensed his hesitation and grabbed onto his arm. "Stay with me for awhile? Chase the bad dreams away?" She asked with a hopeful and tentative smile.

He nodded and lay down, still fully clothed in his jumper and jeans, and settled stiffly on his back as if trying not to touch her. Sensing his discomfort, Rose turned onto her side with her back to him and grabbed his left arm and flung it around her waist, pulling him into a spooning position. He sighed in resignation and began petting her hair with his other hand in a soothing motion that reminded Rose of her Mum.

Rose felt completely relaxed and started to close her eyes, but then her heartbeat sped up as she realized the intimacy of their position. She became increasingly aware of the feel of his warm breath on her neck; the way his fingers were lightly touching a part of her bare stomach; the tender almost reverent way that he was petting her hair; the position of his denim covered groin against her thighs. All of this combined to make her, suddenly and quite inconveniently, aroused. She held the Doctor's hand all the time and had from the minute she met him and they also shared the occasional hug, but this was a first and she found that the nearness thrilled her even as it made her nervous.

Her breathing became laboured as she tried to get herself under control. Just as she had almost calmed herself down, she remembered that in her brief history with men spooning had always led to the feeling of a growing erection against her legs. She wondered if the Doctor had this in common with human men, and was simultaneously relieved and extremely disappointed to find that he apparently didn't when several minutes passed with no change. Granted, the two men she had been with were what the Doctor would call, barely post pubescent "sex obsessed apes," and he was certainly none of those things. He had very recently made it clear that he did in fact "dance," and she wasn't so naïve that she missed the double entendre of the word, but as far as she could tell he was as celibate as a monk.

For a moment, she worried that maybe he just didn't find her desirable but she knew from the way he sometimes looked at her that he found her attractive, even if he refused to do anything about it. Then she remembered the few times she had seen him regulate his body, and realized that maybe this was just another thing his "superior biology" kept in check. Or, she suddenly thought in slight panic, maybe "it" just didn't respond that way to someone of a different species. After all, guinea pigs didn't mate with rabbits did they? Sleepiness overrode arousal as she continued pondering this and tried to think of examples of interspecies mating in nature. Eventually, she began to drift off to sleep with images of mules dancing in her head. Just as she entered that confusing time between wakefulness and asleep, she heard him whisper, "Oi! I am not a guinea pig! Or a mule!" She had just enough awareness left to wonder if she'd accidentally said that part aloud, before losing consciousness completely.

* * *

Rose was unsurprised to find herself alone in the bed the next morning. She hadn't expected him to stay, after all he had never been able to sit still for longer than thirty seconds, and he didn't need a lot of sleep. Still, she felt oddly disappointed by his absence. She hesitated briefly before getting out of bed, her nerves catching up with her, and began to worry that it would be awkward between them now. Her fear was proven to be unfounded, however, as things went on just as they always had. They were still the Doctor and Rose, best friends and companions, traveling through time and Space with Captain Jack along for the ride.

He didn't come to her room every night after that, but he did occasionally when one or the other of them needed comfort. They never brought it up during the day, and there were no words exchanged on the subject at night either. They began to develop a wordless understanding, and a stronger connection as they became more attuned to one another. It never progressed beyond spooning or cuddling and everything else about their relationship remained unchanged, at least outwardly.

Rose started to notice little things about the Doctor that had never affected her previously, and she found that she definitely wanted more. She didn't allow herself to push him, though, out of fear that he would run away.

One night, Rose woke up to find the Doctor still there, asleep beside her. She had never seen him sleep and he looked so beautiful and serene in that moment, that she found herself tracing the contours of his face. Before she could stop herself, she brushed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. His lips were warm and soft, and she wanted more than anything to wake him up and have him kiss her back, but she didn't dare. He showed no signs of waking so she braved a whispered, and almost inaudible, "I love you" before falling back to sleep. That night turned out to be the last she spent with him before they were abruptly pulled from Kyoto to Satellite Five, and everything changed forever.


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Rose had the dream, the Doctor woke her up by poking her in the eye. She bolted up into a sitting position to find warm apologetic brown eyes gazing at her. "Ow!" she yelled as she covered her injury with her hand. "I thought I told you not to wake me up that way!"

The Doctor grabbed her free hand and looked at her with sincerity. "Sorry, Sorry! I wasn't going for a poke in the eye but you twitched just as I was about to touch your face." Then he frowned and asked, "When?"

Rose looked at him in irritation. "When, what?"

"When did you tell me not to wake you up that way?" The Doctor responded with a note of impatience, as if the meaning of his question had been completely obvious.

"Oh that. The last time you woke me up like this I told you that you shouldn't make a habit of it." Rose responded with an identical tone of impatience.

"Ah. No, I distinctly recall that you said not to wake 'people' up that way. You seemed quite fine about it actually. Also, this is in fact the first time I've woken you up by poking you in the eye, so your point is completely moot." He smiled smugly at her, letting her know that he had won that round.

Rose sighed in resignation. "Fine, whatever. What are you doing here Doctor?" Since his regeneration, he hadn't resumed his occasional nightly visits to her bed. She needed time to mourn and to adjust to his new form, and he had sensed that and stayed away. In truth, she had been ready for weeks as she found herself becoming more and more attracted to him, but at that moment she felt tired and irritable and just wanted him to go away so she could go back to sleep.

The Doctor's smug smile faltered and he let go of her hand to pull at his ear lobe. "Well, I can go, if you want. I'll have you know, though, that I was in the middle of some extremely important Time Lordly things when I was rudely interrupted by a very loud and high pitched scream of 'Doctor' so I, being the gentlemanly Time Lord that I am, ran immediately to your room to make sure you weren't being attacked by anything. Now that I see that you are, in fact, completely fine, I am happy to go back to the much more interesting activities I was engaged in prior to this little distraction. If you want." He looked at her then and saw that her hands were covering her face, and she was shaking as if trying to keep herself from sobbing. "Rose! I'm sorry - really I said I was sorry, Rose. Now don't cry!"

Rose moved her hands away from her face and let out a loud guffaw that instantly turned into uncontrollable laughter. Every time she managed to almost calm herself down, she would look at him and see the affronted expression on his face, and then break out into another helpless fit of giggling. After several minutes of this pattern, she finally caught her breath enough to speak.

"I'm sorry, 's just you thinking you're this gallant hero come to rescue me and you end up poking me in the eye instead. That's so you!" She shook her head and became more serious. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for checking on me though. You saved me from a bad dream. Really." She smiled at him in sincerity.

He beamed back at her. "Anytime. Were you dreaming about the Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform then?"

"The what?" Rose responded in confusion, before realizing he was referring to their adventure of a couple of weeks ago. "No, no, not the werewolf. I had that dream again. Remember, the one with the see through building?" He nodded. She bit her thumbnail as she tried to recall the details of her dream. "Everything was the same, except this time the building was sort of black and white like in an old film or something. I was still in color though and so was everything outside." She frowned and paused before continuing. "I could see you out there but you didn't see me. It was odd but you looked like you do now, but you also looked like you did before somehow. Like a, a what's the word? Like a superimposition, yeah? It was definitely you though. I kept going up the stairs and tried banging on the windows of each floor to get your attention, but you never even looked in my direction. I felt so stuck and scared that I would never find a way out." Rose furrowed her brow in contemplation. "It has to mean something right? I mean having the same dream twice? I've never had a recurring dream before."

"How do you know that? The only reason you know this one is recurring is because we talked about it and gave it life. Maybe you've just forgotten the other repeat dreams you've had," the Doctor said.

Rose looked thoughtful and then moved to lay her head in his lap before responding. "I guess that's true. Still, it's gotta mean something, hasn't it? There has to be a reason I keep having it."

"Why? I told you things only have to have meaning if you want them to. It could just be a dream; your brain's way of processing all of the chaos that is life," the Doctor said with gentleness as he smoothed Rose's hair back from her face and then frowned. "I miss your long hair. Why'd you cut it anyway?"

Rose, feeling completely relaxed, had closed her eyes but opened them at this remark. "You what? Why? 'S easier to take care of this way and I like it! Don't you? And since when do you notice things like hair anyway?"

The Doctor smiled down at her and reached up to touch his own hair. "Since I regenerated into a Time Lord with perfect hair of course." He winked at her as he preened.

Rose smiled back at him sleepily. "It really is a great head of hair." She reached up and ruffled it.

"Hey! Stop that, you're messing it up!" the Doctor protested.

Rose laughed and shook her head. Feeling completely comfortable with him for the first time since his regeneration, she turned on her side and pulled him down with her so that he was spooning her the way that he used to in his last body.

The Doctor was caught a little off guard by the suddenness of her actions. "Uh, Rose I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

Rose turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Why not? I'm comfortable. Just stay here until I fall asleep? Besides, I've missed being held by you." The mood changed completely as they both realized that she had inadvertently broken an unspoken rule. Up until this point, neither of them had ever brought up the nightly visits. She sensed the Doctor's sudden discomfort, and inwardly kicked herself. She knew that any acknowledgement of growing intimacy between them would send him running in the opposite direction. That was the exact reason she hadn't pushed him on the subject in his last incarnation, and she certainly hadn't meant to press him on it after he changed. He made no attempt to leave though, and Rose became lost in her thoughts. After a few minutes, she felt something poking her uncomfortably in her right thigh, so she absent-mindedly grabbed onto it to move it out of the way. The Doctor let out a loud yelp in response and Rose stiffened as she realized what she now held in her hand.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Erm, sorry uh, new body. I'm still working out some of the more minor regulatory functions, as it were. I'll just —"

"Ha! I knew it had something to do with Time Lord regulatory whatsits!" Rose interrupted.

"What's that then?" the Doctor confusedly asked. Then realization dawned on him, and he lowered his voice an octave and breathed huskily into her ear. "Why, Rose Tyler have you spent time contemplating my phallus?"

Rose felt arousal shoot through her entire body, and she swallowed convulsively before finding the courage to respond to him. "Maybe I have. The question is, Doctor, what are you going to do with that information?" She moved her hand up his hard shaft that was still encased in his trousers, and gave him a gentle squeeze.

The Doctor's breath became laboured as he struggled to regain control of the situation. "Uh, Rose. Are you going to move your hand?"

Rose knew then that she could either pretend that the whole thing had been a harmless game, or she could move forward into entirely new territory. With a sexy tone of confidence that she didn't really feel she said, "I thought I was." Then she jerked her hand up and down his length and felt him harden even further under her ministrations. "Do you want me to stop?"

The Doctor swallowed and she felt his adam's apple move against her hair. "Want? Want is an interesting word, want is. I want a lot of things Rose. I would still very much like to take you to Barcelona the planet, for instance. I want banana ice lollies in the TARDIS freezer. I want to — ooh." Rose gave him another gentle squeeze and traced her thumb across the tip of his cock, and the Doctor let out an involuntary moan.

The Doctor's voice became a high-pitched squeak. "Ooh, Rose that feels really nice - more than nice in fact. But if you don't stop soon, things are going to get very sticky and I know you don't like sticky. Remember the time that green spikey alien got gooey stuff all over you? You didn't like that at all. Oh!"

Rose had unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers to free his straining erection, and began to move her hand up and down his flesh. They were still spooning so she couldn't see his face to gauge his reaction, but she was spurred on by the sound of his erratic breaths in her ear and the rapid beats of his hearts against her back. She stopped moving her hand and turned her head slowly to look him in the eye and was stunned by the raw hunger she saw there. Her face flushed and she swallowed. "Let me do this for you, Doctor. I think you'll find that I really won't mind the stickiness." He nodded and pulled her head back further so that he could capture her lips with his own. Rose parted her lips in invitation, and their tongues explored one another's mouths sloppily as she resumed moving her hand up and down his shaft. He moaned into her mouth and nipped at her lower lip. He began to trace a line from her jaw to her neck with his tongue, and started kissing her there as he became lost in ecstasy.

Rose had never enjoyed doing this for either of her boyfriends in the past, but she found that the power she felt in doing this for the Doctor aroused her more than anything or anyone ever had. She needed to relieve some of the pressure that she felt building inside her, so she started to touch herself as she continued to jerk him off faster and faster. The Doctor stilled her hand. "Let me," he whispered. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan as his tongue did amazing things to her neck, and his fingers lightly touched her where she wanted them most. Her climax took hold of her immediately and suddenly she was screaming with abandon as the pulsing waves of pleasure washed over her. The Doctor pumped himself into her hand two times and let out a low grunt before spilling his seed all over her knickers and bare back.

Afterwards, Rose turned her head to give the Doctor another kiss but he had already gotten out of the bed so that he could clean himself up. He avoided her gaze as he searched the pockets of his trousers and pulled various items out. Eventually he found two wet cloths and handed one to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, all traces of her former confidence completely gone.

The Doctor lifted up her chin and leaned down to give her a chaste kiss. "I told you it would be sticky," he joked and she smiled in relief as the heavy atmosphere turned lighter again. "I'm sorry about the sheets. It looks like you'll have to sleep in my bed tonight."

Once he had her settled in his room, he kissed her on the forehead. "I'll let you get some sleep now. I have to, uh, get back to those important TARDIS repairs. See you in the morning?"

She nodded and bit her bottom lip. "See you in the morning." She turned on her side to face away from him and waited until he shut the door before letting out the sob she had been holding in. "What have you gone and done now Rose Tyler?" she asked herself. The reality of what had just transpired overwhelmed her and she found that she hated herself a little bit for pushing things so far. She hadn't wanted it to happen that way and predictably, the Doctor had run.

* * *

Rose successfully avoided the Doctor most of the next day. He busied himself with TARDIS repairs and she wandered the ship aimlessly, until finally settling in the garden for a few hours. When the Doctor found her later that day, he behaved as if everything was completely normal between them and didn't bring up the previous night. He just beamed at her the way he always did and asked her where she wanted to go next. Everything had changed for Rose but the Doctor seemed completely unaffected. She also wasn't one to brood or dwell, though, so she responded with an equally enthusiastic grin and let her previous anxiety go without a thought. She told herself that she wouldn't become the needy girlfriend that pushed him to open up to her about his feelings. She would take what he was willing to give her and ask for nothing more.

He came to her room every night after that (or at least the ones they spent on the TARDIS) and they continued to explore one another's bodies with mouths, tongues, and hands like virgin would be lovers that were afraid to move onto the next step. The only words exchanged between them were teasing and seductive utterances that said everything and nothing all at once, and were always seemingly forgotten by morning. Rose became content with their arrangement and quieted any thoughts of wanting more. They weren't "like that" after all, and she felt that what they had was better than anything she could get out of a traditional relationship. She liked to think that in the moments that he was in her bedroom, he was hers alone. During the day she knew she had to share him with the Universe.

It wasn't until she met Sarah Jane that she began to wonder about whether or not she was just the latest in a long string of lovers that he would toss aside as soon as they started to show signs of "withering." The sureness she felt about their relationship faltered even further after the Doctor allowed Mickey to join them. Then it shattered completely when he abandoned her on a spaceship to chase after Reinette, leaving her feeling used and inadequate. Rose started locking her door at night after that, a clear message to him that he should stay away. She knew it would come off as passive aggressive behaviour but she needed time to figure things out, and she wouldn't be able to do that if he continued to think that he could behave one way at night and another way all together during the day. They had gotten into a pattern of not talking about anything important for so long that Rose was at a complete loss as to how she would approach him about what she was feeling.

On the third night in a row of successful avoidance, the Doctor knocked on her door. Rose reluctantly let him in and avoided looking him in the eye as he told her over and over again how much he missed her and that he was "so, so sorry" for leaving her. He told her that he would have always found a way back to her and that Reinette was important to history so he had to save her but that she had meant nothing to him and that Rose was his everything. It was the closest he had ever come to admitting that he loved her. Even though she didn't completely believe him, Rose found herself giving into him easily. Never being one to hold a grudge, she bathed him in kisses that spoke words of forgiveness and love that she would never dare say aloud. He tried to make love to her that night but she stopped him, not feeling quite ready to give that much of herself to him yet.

Despite his near admission of love, their daytime relationship remained largely unchanged. He added occasional snogging to their daily routine and their hugs became more lingering, but it always remained on his terms and she never initiated anything outside the bedroom. His nightly visits turned into a game of wills after that. Rose became a master of deflection with her body in much the same way that the Doctor had always been a master at deflection with words. Whereas he made it very clear that he was ready to move onto the next level, she expertly avoided it. When he begged to be inside of her, she would use her mouth to bring him to climax instead. On some nights she straddled him and ground into his erection until they both climaxed inside of their clothes. She knew it was vaguely manipulative to use this power over him in that way, but she wouldn't allow herself to give this one last piece of her soul to him no matter how much they both wanted it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The last time Rose had the dream, she woke up to find the Doctor asleep beside her. She smiled at how peaceful and beautiful he looked, and began to trace the lines of his features just as she had once done so long ago when he wore a different face. She leaned down and kissed him passionately until he woke up and began to kiss her back.

"Not that I'm complaining, because that really is a brilliant way to wake up, Rose Tyler, but what was that for?" The Doctor asked her through a haze of arousal.

Rose smiled in amusement at the thoroughly snogged look on his face. "I had that dream again. The one about the building, yeah?"

The Doctor started kissing her neck and mumbled against her collarbone. "Yes, how could I forget? But do you really want to talk about that now? I can think of loads of other things I'd rather be doing." He sucked her right ear lobe into his mouth and tried to kiss her again but she pulled away from him.

"Doctor, not now. Please? I want to tell you about my dream. I think I finally understand why I keep having it." Rose said excitedly.

The Doctor sighed in resignation and sat up next to her. "Oh alright. So what do you think it means then?"

Rose bit her bottom lip and considered her words carefully. "I keep forgetting that you're not human, and that you're bigger and more important than any of us." He opened his mouth to protest but she put her finger over his lips to keep him from speaking. "Just listen for a minute, okay? I've been stupid. I keep wanting more from you even though I've never been brave enough to ask for it. I can face down daleks, cybermen, and a werewolf with barely a flinch but when it comes to talking about us…well, I guess you and I are the same in that way." He nodded sadly in agreement. "The thing is, I realized that the building is totally safe, yeah? But it terrifies me. There's nothing there, nothing at all. I feel suffocated and stuck, and just sort of like I can't breathe. And outside there's all of this chaos, and darkness, and danger but there's also beauty, and wonder, and love."

She stood up from the bed and began to pace a little bit. "What I realized in the dream this time is that all of that, well it is basically you. 'S not profound or anything because when I think about it, it's pretty obvious really." She paused for a few seconds to look at him and saw a strange expression on his face, but he didn't try to interrupt her. "Anyway, I finally found a way out of the building. I made it to the top and I sort of sprouted wings and flew to the TARDIS." She laughed then. "Imagine me as a bird? I could really wander off then." He smiled a little at that but he still looked tentative. "The reason I woke you up to tell you all this, is because I need you to understand that I know who you are, and I've seen what you're capable of, and I'm not going anywhere. You think that I am going to decide one day that I want the safety and security of four walls and a mortgage, but that's never gonna happen. Knowing you has changed me forever Doctor, and I could never go back to that. Not even if something ever happened to split us up. So please stop trying to protect me from whatever it is you think I need protecting from."

The Doctor looked like he was at war with a part of himself as he stood up and stepped in front of her. Then he seemed to come to some sort of decision, and his face gradually broke into the huge grin that Rose had always loved. Along with his eyes, it was one of the things about him that reminded her that he was still the same Doctor that she met in the basement at Henrik's, so long ago.

"You are brilliant, you know that Rose Tyler? I kept telling you that the dream didn't mean anything but look at you making connections that I didn't see." He beamed at her proudly.

Rose gave him a little smile in response but didn't say anything. She felt a small amount of satisfaction at his pride in her despite the hint of condescension in his words.

"I can't promise that I will stop wanting to keep you safe." The Doctor continued. "But I need you to know that you've changed me too. You have saved me in more ways than you could possibly understand. I've never let myself get this close to a companion, or anyone else really. I'm complete rubbish at talking about anything that matters, but I'll try to learn if you'll be patient with me. I'm over 900 years old and I know, well, pretty much everything. Weeell, not everything but I am more brilliant than just about anyone." He boasted, and Rose cleared her throat. "Anyway, my point is that while I know _almost_ everything, I don't know anything about this -" He waved his hands back and forth to indicate the two of them. "And that terrified me, so I ran like I've always done. But I'm not running anymore." He swallowed and looked at Rose with more vulnerability than she had ever seen in him.

Rose placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him. "Doctor, I've been running too and I think you and me we'll always run, but as long as we do it together, we'll be okay." She shrugged then as if to say there was nothing more she could add to the subject, and moved in to kiss him again.

The kiss turned from gentle, to rough and passionate within moments. They reluctantly broke away from one another and slowly began to remove their clothes. Completely naked together for the first time, they took a few moments to just stare.

"You're beautiful Rose. I should have told you that a long time ago." The Doctor whispered reverently.

"You are too, I've always thought so." Rose said.

"Even when I had that daft old face with the big ears?" He asked her with mock disbelief.

"Especially then." She teased him with a tongue-touched smile.

He pretended to be offended for a few moments but then looked at her tenderly. "Rose Tyler, I think you would think me beautiful no matter what I looked like, but you have to admit that I am rather dashing in this body."

She smiled at him and touched his face. "Yes, rather dashing. And you're right I would probably think that no matter what but I'm definitely not in a hurry for you to change again. Now Doctor? Shut up and kiss me again please."

The Doctor licked his lips and raked his eyes over her body as he moved to obey her command. He brought his lips down to her shoulder blade, and slowly snaked his tongue down to her breasts. He lavished light and sucking kisses over each nipple until he was satisfied that they had received enough attention, and then moved back up to kiss her neck. Rose began to feel tortured under his touches, but she felt helpless to deny him this tender exploration. Finally, he brought his lips back to hers and she met them eagerly. Their kiss turned frantic as they both explored one another's bodies with increasingly urgent caresses.

The Doctor walked Rose to the bed and pushed her gently onto the mattress. He moved to lie on top of her and dropped his forehead to hers as he lined his erection up with her entrance. Rose opened her eyes, and was startled by the love she saw reflected back at her. In all the times that they had been intimate, he had never looked as open to her as he did in that moment. She muttered a desperate "please," and he nodded before gradually entering her. Once he was sheathed inside of her completely, he paused for a few seconds before beginning to move.

He made love to her slowly and reverently, almost painfully so, until she couldn't stand it anymore and pleaded with him to move faster. She met each of his thrusts and began to feel her orgasm build as they increased the pace. They both found their release at the same time, and Rose felt completely overwhelmed by the power of the emotions that accompanied it. The Doctor pushed his forehead against hers again, and gave her a lingering kiss before moving to collapse next to her on the bed. Rose turned her head to the side so that he couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. He noticed anyway, and grasped her chin to turn her face so that she was looking at him.

He gently kissed her tears away. "Blimey, you know how to give a bloke a complex. Was it that bad, then?" He joked.

Rose laughed. "No, that was amazing. I'm sorry. It's just, no one's ever made love to me like that. I think you've ruined me for other men forever."

"Good." He smiled cheekily at her, and pulled her into his arms so that her head was pillowed on his naked chest.

Even though Rose knew that she had given him that last little piece of herself that she had been so afraid to lose, she felt more complete than she ever had, as she was lulled to sleep by the sound of his beating hearts against her ear. The next day she woke up to find the Doctor still there. She knew he wouldn't be able to sit still for that long every time, but the fact that he had intuitively understood how important it was that he be there this once made her love him just a little bit more.


End file.
